NOGUCHI NAOHIKO 01 2019

From the 2019 brewing of Tojo Yamada Nishiki, Naohiko Noguchi selected a single lot, matured under his direction over several years.

Aged Sake

RiceTojo Yamada Nishiki

Polish—

ABV17%

SMV—

Volume770 ml

StyleAged Sake

The sake

Chosen from a single tank, a pinnacle of 2019

Hand-selected by toji Noguchi himself from among several 2019 tanks and bottled without blending with any other lot, this is 01. Made with Yamada Nishiki rice from Hyogo’s Tojo Special-A district, it is a 770ml vintage that has spent time both in tank and in bottle. A single lot, chosen by instinct rather than by number, shapes this sake’s quiet character.

Taste profile

A carefully chosen density, a long and quiet stillness

A lustrous aroma of peach and apple, with a soft sweetness like acacia honey. A smooth texture, brought by long, low-temperature maturation, is supported by fine acidity and a faint bitterness, leading into a long, clear finish.

Keep refrigerated. That long, clear finish is where its quiet stillness settles.

The brewery

NOGUCHI NAOHIKO · Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute · Ishikawa

Founded in 2017 to carry the techniques, spirit and way of life of master toji Naohiko Noguchi forward to the next generation, the institute is based in Kannonge, Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Working with water, rice and time, it carefully brews sake of varying character — from junmai and yamahai to vintage unfiltered nama-genshu.

Official brewery website

Culinary affinity

A seamless texture built to carry weight

The distillery does not publish official food pairings. What follows are four directions read from the aromas and texture that can be confirmed. With a seamless texture built by long, cold ageing, and a long finish carried by fine acidity, this sake shows best against dishes with fat or richness rather than light appetisers.

Ripe fruit and sweet fatSeared foie gras with honey sauce, green curry chicken, seared fatty tuna (aburi otoro). The ripe-peach and acacia-honey character runs in the same direction as the sweetness of fat or coconut

Seamless texture meeting creamLobster cream sauce, poo phat pong curry (Thai crab stir-fried in curry powder), fresh yuba (soy milk skin). The seamless texture overlaps with the richness of cream or egg yolk

A long finish and the umami of aged meatChateaubriand, straw-grilled wagyu steak, nuea yang jim jaew (Isan-style grilled beef with dipping sauce). The long finish, carried by fine acidity and a gentle bitterness, draws out the umami of rich, fatty red meat

Fine acidity and dessert sweetnessTarte Tatin, kuri kinton (sweetened chestnut), khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice). The fine acidity tightens the finish of desserts built on honey or fruit

Food-pairing theory notes that a sake with a seamless, concentrated texture tends to harmonise with the richness of fat or cream in the same direction. This sake’s fine acidity carries that role — tightening the finish of richer dishes.

Pairing guide — Sake

Explore the range

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